A Pirate's Ransom
by Midnight Phantasma
Summary: Road believes that none can change her stance on envisaging pirates as nothing more than man slaughtering, thieving brutes. But when she is unexpectedly captured by the widely feared crew of Captain Cross Marian, and forced to work alongside people that seem to have more depth to them than Road ever thought possible, all of her hardcore believes are shattered. [Full Summary Inside]
1. Captured

**A/N: **Probably shouldn't be publishing this, but ah well! Too late, I guess… :p

Let me give a warning first. There will obviously be OOCness. I mean, they're pirates for one. And Road won't have her Noah side, so even if she becomes a bit brutal throughout the story, it won't be to her usual extent. I hope you enjoy!(:

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><p><span><strong>Disclaimer<strong>**: **I do not own **D. Gray-Man**.

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><p><strong>Summary: <strong>After witnessing the brutal murder of her mother during a pirate raid as a young girl, Road believes that none can change her stance on envisaging pirates as nothing more than man slaughtering, thieving brutes. But when she is unexpectedly captured by the widely feared crew of Captain Cross Marian, and forced to work alongside people that seem to have more depth to them than Road ever thought possible, all her hardcore believes are shattered. And why is the idea of suddenly returning home so unappealing?

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><p><span>Chapter 1<span>

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><p><strong>Time Frame — Night of March 23<strong>**rd****, 1705**

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><p>—<strong>3rd Person POV—<strong>

**~Road~**

Chaos and destruction ruled over the city that night.

Road crouched down further into the corner of the wall, willing herself to become invisible. Even from here she could hear the shrieks of terror that filled her own home; smell the thick, suffocating stench of nearby rooms burning. The only thing keeping the fire at bay were the stone walls making up the castle. Clamping her hands over her ears, Road curled into herself, distant memories flashing through her head at rapid speeds.

_Her mother being wrenched from the grasp of her small hands. Listening to her frightened screams._

_Blood splattering across her small, cherubic face. _

_A small silence._

_And then, her own, high-pitched cries of anguish and pain._

"No!" Road shouted, and quieted abruptly, listening for the familiar sound of pounding footsteps. After a moment, Road released a sigh of relief. She was supposed to hide; she'd promised her father that she'd stay safe, and in turn, he'd promised her the same. She couldn't lose him too. Unfortunately, she wasn't hidden for much longer.

The door to her father's study was smashed open with a swift, powerful kick. Thrusting the door aside with his foot, Road could just barely make out the tall, muscular figure in the dark as he made his way in. Before she could even think to move and hide further, her wide, violet eyes made contact with the man's own dark and narrowed glare. In couple of swift strides, he reached her, promptly making a grab for her.

"Please―"

"Don't _speak_," the man growled, his threatening stance immediately silencing Road. Satisfied with her response, he roughly yanked her up by her arm and began to drag her out and through the wrecked corridors of her large home. Road only just noticed as the fires spread across the tapestries and curtains along the arching walls, her eyes focused frightfully upon her capturer. The tall man had surprisingly long hair tied into a neat braid, random beads interweaving through the dark hair, trailing the length of his back. His loose, white shirt, black vest, and trousers were swathed with multiple belts that bared an assortment of weapons. With a small gulp, Road noticed that the sword held at ready in his other hand had large traces of blood along the sharp, metal blade.

Noticing the familiar hallways, Road realized with panic that they were nearing the throne room. She began to cough and choke as the smoke around them thickened, and clenched her eyes, frightened for what she was about to face. It was happening all over again, and she couldn't do anything about it. The shouting and screaming got louder around them, and finally, she was wrenched into the once extravagant room, now at the mercy of pirates. How they'd made it past all the guards and security, she'd never know.

"Father!" she screeched, as she saw him at the mercy of another pirate. This one seemed younger, despite the blinding white hair tied into a rough ponytail at the nape of his neck and a severe scar marring half of his face. He was dressed similar to other pirate, though he also wore a knee-length cloak. The most noticeable thing to Road though, was the fact he had a blade pressing awfully close against her father's neck. "Please! Don't!"

Both pirates took no notice of her, as they instantly started their own conversation.

"Does he understand?" the dark haired man holding unto her demanded.

The one grasping her father nodded. "Yes, I've clearly explained what exactly is going to happen. But a little review couldn't hurt," he added as an afterthought. Road cringed, wondering if she was about to listen in on how they planned to murder her father. She soon got her answer, as the white haired teen inquired, "When will it be ready?"

"I-in a month," her father gasped, hardly being able to breathe with the blade pressed so delicately against his neck. Road internally sighed in relief. Whatever it was that needed to be ready, couldn't happen with his death

"Where will it be ready for exchange?"

"O-on the shore."

"Well, you better hope so," he threatened, and using the hilt of his knife, knocked him unconscious and carelessly dropped him to the floor. Road attempted to run over and make sure he was okay, but the filthy pirate continued to hold onto her. Abruptly, he threw her over his shoulder, and in a silent agreement, both pirates raced through the castle, calling for their thieving crewmates down the way. It wasn't long before they got through the village and left all the chaos behind them, reaching the docks. In a flurry of movement, that Road could hardly comprehend, she belatedly realized that she was being taken. But by the time she could process this, the pirate that had taken her had already thrown her into the dark brig below.

With a silent cry, Road curled up once again, but this time in the corner of a dirty ship. She flinched and recoiled in disgust when she felt something large and furry scurry past her. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Road attempted to focus on the fact that her father was only hurt, but still, very much alive. As she felt the boat leave the shores and rock along with the waves, Road finally fell into an uncomfortable and fitful sleep.

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><p><strong>Time Frame — Morning of March 24<strong>**th****, 1705**

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><p>Road blearily awoke to the sounds of shouting. Confused out of her mind, she groggily took in her surroundings and at last understood that it hadn't just been some nightmare. With a resigned sigh, Road slumped, simply listening to the shouts above.<p>

"C'mon, you swabs! Get to it, and titivate, or I'll black spot you faster than you can say booty!" the voice continued to yell harshly. Road startled, suddenly taking notice that the voice was _female_. What on earth was a female doing on a _pirate ship_? And the way she was commanding them about… It's like she actually had _power_. And by the pounding of feet, Road could tell that they were scurrying to do their jobs. Road frowned. The thought was so perplexing.

Road was unsure as to how long she sat there, in the small, cramped prison, but eventually someone deemed it fit to regale her with a visit. The man looked like your typical pirate, despite being young. A tattered, green bandana held back his voluminous, flaming hair, revealing an eye patch and multitudes of golden hoops along his ears―most likely stolen. _The only thing he's missing is a stump for a leg, _Road noted with a discreet scoff. The man seemed to take no notice as he simply grinned at her and guided her out of her prison. His hold was surprisingly gentle, but it hardly relaxed Road.

They were silent as they walked through the tight halls beneath the ship, though his stupidly huge grin never once faltered, despite her icy glare. It only seemed to get wider, in fact. Ultimately, Road found herself in an extravagantly decorated office littered with priceless―stolen―artifacts. After taking in her surroundings, she finally noticed those occupying the room. They didn't even spare her a glance. She faltered slightly, when she noticed some of the female members dressed similarly to the pirate men, though they seemed to keep themselves cleaner. Road looked extremely out of place with her lavish gown.

The man sitting behind the desk―who Road assumed to be the captain―was dressed in a fine black coat, richly lined in gold. His tresses of crimson hair were well kept, unlike his ratty captain's hat. Road briefly wondered what it was that he kept hidden underneath his white mask on the right side of his face. Tipping his head back and taking a swig from his bottle, the captain commanded, "Report."

The first to step up was the white-haired teen Road remembered from last night, only now he'd replaced his cloak with a nice, sturdy coat. "The mission was a success, Capt. We've replenished our supplies and the King had no choice but to agree to the ransom." Road's scowl deepened. She duly noted that the pirate sounded much more intelligent then she'd expected. She'd always imagined them to be unintelligent buffoons. But no matter. This only served to drive in the fact that their actions had been planned accordingly and not done stupidly out of some insane crave for bloodlust and treasures.

The next to step up was a girl that did not seem much older than the boy who'd preceded her. She was clearly of Asian origin. Her long, dark locks were swept up into a single ponytail, short bangs framing pretty, amethyst eyes that rivaled Road's own violet ones. Road was disgusted to notice the skirt that rested just above the girl's knees. Sure, she was wearing stockings and boots, but it was still _indecent_. And surrounded by pirates no less! When she began to speak, Road realized that it had been the girl that had been shouting earlier this morning.

"Everything is in order, Capt. The riggings, cables, and sails have all been repaired with all the supplies we managed to take and we should be good for the next couple months."

Road continued to glower, knowing that those had been the supplies needed for _her _father's ships, but didn't dare comment. Yet another girl stepped up, and despite her older appearance―she looked to be in her early twenties―she was a whole inch shorter then Road's 4'10"! The ginger girl seemed to be permanently annoyed, but nonetheless stepped forward.

"There weren't many damages. Just a couple of ricocheting bullets from those squiffy soldiers that caused a couple of leaks. Some oakum fibers simply took care of it."

Road narrowed her eyes at her, feeling indignant on behalf of her father's soldiers. Pirates were the worst of scum, and had no doubt used some underhanded tactics in order to achieve what they had last night. Trying to calm herself, knowing this was certainly not the place and time, Road saw that the next in line was the one who'd dragged her from her home last night. But rather than give a report, he simply scowl and said, "Che." This seemed to be enough for everyone, because they simply turned to the next in line. The wild, brown-haired man had odd purple streaks extending down from his eyes, and his smirk was almost as obnoxious as the red-head's grin, but not quite.

"Klaud and I managed to loot quite a large amount of ammunition! She's busy sifting through it right now and storing it in barrels with the help of Krory. At this rate, we should be good for the rest of the year!" He looked positively gleeful, and Road just wished she could wipe that smirk of his face.

Suddenly, she froze, noticing they were all looking in her direction. It took a moment for her to realize that they were, in reality, looking at the man holding onto her arm. Seeming to realize the same, he unexpectedly released her and began to quickly sift through his pockets until he finally managed to pull out a crinkled map. Smoothing it out, he immediately began, "So I was thinking, since we have a whole month before we have to come back, that we go exploring and maybe on a couple more raids. We've finally escaped the Mediterranean, and we're out in the big, bad Atlantic. There's still so much out there!" His enthusiasm was practically tangible, and Road was hard pressed to believe that this one was an actual a pirate. And then she recalled his suggestion for more raids, and her hatred grew all the more.

The captain simply nodded, and took yet another swig from his bottle. Suddenly, he said, "The lass." Road gulped, as everyone suddenly took a step, unmercifully leaving her out in the open. Pointing at her, the captain accused, "Girl, you're taking up useless space. Barry, here's your new powder monkey. But make sure she survives. We still need the ransom money."

"Thanks, Capt! The last one didn't survive very long, but I'll be sure to keep a closer eye on this one!" he grinned. Road's eyes turned as wide as saucers.

The captain simply nodded and waved them away. "Right. Not get out and leave me be, you sprogs."

Most of them visibly bristled at the insult, but vacated his office nonetheless. The wild haired man had taken a hold of Road, much to her disgruntlement, and began to speak, "Blimey, what's with all those layers of clothing. No very practical, lass. You're about Fou's size, so maybe we could ask her to let you borrow something simpler." Before Road could protest, he was calling out, "Fou! Fou!"

"What do you want, Daisya?!" the ginger girl scowled.

"Aw, quit hanging the jib so much, Fou. Just wondering if you'd let the lass borrow some of your clothes," the man, Daisya, replied.

Fou offered her an uninterested look before simply shrugging and walking off. "You know where my cabin is, you swab."

Not even taking offense to the insult, Daisya simply began to drag Road over to a different hallway. They finally paused at one of the many doors, which he casually swung open before ushering her in. "Be smart about it, now. Klaud will be expecting us soon."

_Smart? _Road wondered, as he closed the door behind her. _Not sure how you can be smart about changing clothes, unless it's another odd pirate term. _Even so, Road carefully sifted through the drawers of meager clothing, and finally settled on a pair of comfortable brown trousers and loose, cotton button up. Thankfully, the woman, Fou, had an extra pair of boots, which Road helped herself to. It was certainly a pain getting out of her corset, but she managed. After she settled into the scratchy clothing and pulled the boots over her pants, Road tucked her blouse in and decided to tie a sash around her waist and over her drab outfit for good measure. Deciding that it would have to do, Road gather her dress and slippers before finally slipping out of the room.

In a soft voice, she asked, "Daisya, right? Where can put my stuff?"

Finally noticing she'd exited, he turned to look at her. "Oh, that's right. Well, this is where all the wenches sleep. There's one empty room though, so it can be yours for now." Daisya nodded to the room over on the far right. Giving him a stiff nod of thanks―though she didn't see why she should considering they were the ones that had _kidnapped_ her―she made her way over with a small frown. There were a total of six rooms in the hall, meaning there were at least five other women aboard the ship. Though she felt slightly relieved, the thought that woman had joined up with _pirates_ was unsettling.

"C'mon, lass! We don't have all day!" Daisya called from the hallway.

Swiftly setting her meager belongings in the small wardrobe―which was probably stolen as well, come to think of it―Road finally made it back and had to jog in order to keep up with Daisya's long, swift strides. Rather than leading her out on the deck, he continued through the twisting corridors, until they made to a whole new room altogether. Road sneezed and then began to cough as she inhaled in the air, heavy with the reek of gunpowder. Patting her on the back, Daisya surprisingly reassured her, "You'll soon get used to it, lass!"

"R-right," she wheezed. Though she certainly hoped not. She did _not _want to be here any longer than she had to. Unfortunately, by now, Road knew it'd be a whole month before she could actually escape this nightmare.

"Daisya? Is that you?" a feminine voice called from further back.

"Aye! And guess what? The Capt gave us a new powder monkey!" he exclaimed. Road wrinkled her delicate nose, disgruntled at their continued referral to her as a "monkey".

Instead of replying, the woman, who Road assumed to be the "Klaud" that Daisya had mentioned earlier, popped up from her crouched position and made her way over. The golden haired woman gave her a once over before nodding in acceptance. "You'll do."

For the second time that day, Road spoke. "What precisely is it that I _will_ be doing?"

"You'll simply be like our assistant. I'm the Master Gunner, while Daisya over here is simply a Gunner. It means we're in charge of firing cannons when we battle other ships. We're also in charge of training the rest of the crew on handling and using guns," she briefly explained to her.

Road furrowed her thin brows. "I thought pirates mostly used swords…" Guns were much more difficult to get a hold of, of course, though Road wouldn't past them to own a whole room full of guns.

"We do," she nodded. "It's the Weapons Master's job to train us with those, though. But we also have guns, and we like to make use of the ones we _do _have. Now, come on you two. We still have all this gunpowder to sift through."

With that, the conversation was over. Road looked at the multiple crates of gunpowder with dismay. Carefully, the three of began to diligently store the gunpowder neatly into packs of barrels. At one point, Road asked, "Why don't you just keep them in the crates?"

"They have too many openings and cracks. We're out at sea, and the barrels will keep it all dry. Now, get to," she'd commanded, in another odd pirate phrase Road had resigned herself to hearing. With all three of them working, they finally completed their task sometime in the early afternoon.

Noticing her exhaustion and how miserable she looked covered in gunpowder, Daisya suggested, "Why don't you go over to your room and take a caulk? Supper won't be ready for another couple hours."

"Right," Road mumbled, too weary to bother asking him what "taking a caulk" was. With his help, Road stumbled back over to her room, collapsing onto her bed, instantly falling asleep.

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><p><strong>Time Frame — Night of March 24<strong>**th****, 1705**

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><p>Road would have probably slept through both dinner and the night, if it hadn't been for the delicious scent of spices wafting through the cracks in her door. Her stomach rumbled loudly, and recalling that it had been over 24 hours since she'd last eaten, Road knew she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep unless she managed to fill her stomach.<p>

Reluctantly, she got up and attempted to clean herself up as best she could. Knowing she could do nothing about her upward curling strands of hair―who knew how she'd even managed to keep her hair straight up until this point while aboard―she wiped her face, hoping there were no marks, but then remembered she had no one to impress. She was in throng of _pirates_ for crying out loud! Nevertheless, she straightened out her blouse and re-tucked it, as well as retied her sash. Knowing it was the best she could do, she walked out of her room… and realized she had no idea where it was that they ate.

"Ah, there you are, our little sutler. Good to see you're awake. Supper's about ready. C'mon!" And Daisya was back. Road released a small sigh, though she was slightly glad it was him. She wouldn't have known what to do if any of the others had appeared. With Daisya, you really didn't have to say much.

As proving her theory true, Daisya began to usher her in the direction of that wonderfully, delicious smell. Soon enough, they were facing the cook.

"Ah! And what would the princess like for dinner?" the flamboyant man asked her.

"Anything! I'm starving!" Road replied eagerly. The man tsked in disapproval, and sooner than she thought, Road was sitting in the center of a bunch of rowdy pirates. Once she settled her stomach―while still maintaining a bit of decorum―Road took in her surroundings better. She noticed the room was only filled with about twenty of them―certainly not enough to form an actual pirate crew. That was at least half the normal number! But she eventually shook it off, and decided not to dwell on it. It was then that she felt someone staring at her.

Glancing up, she saw that the person sitting across from her was the white haired male from before. He offered her a kind smile, which certainly seemed out of place with their current surroundings. Suddenly standing up, he cleared his throat, and the room swiftly quieted down, as if waiting for his orders. It was certainly odd, considering some of the crew were much older than him.

Still, with that out-of-place smile, he held up his tankard of rum, still looking her straight in the eyes. "To the princess, who will bring us many treasures! Welcome to The Abaddon!"

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><p><strong>AN: **That's the name of the ship, if you didn't catch that. And yes, I know it's not authentic pirate speech, but I mean, _come on_! Who's going to take this story seriously if Lavi goes running around, yelling things like, "Arrgh! Ye scurvy dogs and scallywags!" and "Shiver me timbers!" and then start making jokes about the poop deck. And before long, we'll have him singing yo-ho-ho!

Yeah…

Anyway, I just wanted to make them somewhat intelligent rather than having them sound like stumbling drunkards. Jack Sparrow was enough, thank you very much!

Please review and tell me your thoughts!(:


	2. Reunion

**A/N: **A big thank you to **XHikariSoraX**, **CloudCarnivore**, **Ennael**, **Walker666**, and **VKLOREO23** for all dropping a review last chapter! I enjoyed hearing your thoughts, and I'm happy I received positive encouragement! I hope to hear from you again!n_n And thank you to those who also favorited and followed this.(:

So yeah, as you might be able to tell, chapter lengths for this story won't be extraordinarily long. In reality, the story itself won't be very long. It'll only be around seven chapters, I've estimated, but I hope you'll enjoy it all the same!(:

By the way, you should all imagine them speaking with British accents because then it sounds cooler and more authentic that way!(; Have fun with that, and I hope you'll enjoy this new chapter!

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><p><span><strong>Disclaimer<strong>**: **I so, totally own this fantastic manga/anime! Always have, always will! *is maimed by Kanda* N-nevermind! I-I take that back! *sobs*

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><p><span>Chapter 2<span>

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><p><strong>Time Frame — Morning of March 25th<strong>**, 1705**

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><p>—<strong>3rd Person POV—<strong>

**~Road~**

That morning, Road was forced to continue her labor, despite the deep ache and exhaustion she felt in her bones. Last night, Road had stayed up late into the night, as she, surprisingly enough, got to know The Abaddon crew. Right after Allen—the white-haired male who'd taken part in her capture—had presented her, the rest of the rowdy pirates had taken more notice and had even begun to speak with her—apparently, his word carried much weight among them; they had referred to him as the 'First Mate'. Essentially, Road figured it meant something along the lines of second-in-command. Road had then wondered where the Captain himself was, until a young boy by the name of Timothy Hearst had mentioned that he'd already delivered his dinner to him, where he was coercing Klaud into at least having a glass of wine with him. Road had found it endlessly amusing; the thought of the strict woman actually managing to put the dreaded Captain into his place. And then remembered that she'd rather not associate positive feelings with such individuals.

It was certainly difficult though, when Road had found it wasn't as bad as she would've presumed it to be. Some of the people surrounding her hadn't been the stereotypical pirates she'd imagined—though the same couldn't be said for that Winters Socaro. The burly sailor hadn't said much, but his intimidating glare had been more than enough to keep Road from approaching him. Fortunately, the rest had distracted her from his fierce scowl that was occasionally directed in her direction. Miranda was such a nice and timid woman, it was a wonder she survived in a place like this. She'd described her enjoyment of making and fixing things, and after Road's questions had finally burst, she'd found that Miranda served as the Sails Maker. In turn, she'd also discovered that Alma worked as the Helmsman, and Narein as a surgeon. They'd both depicted their jobs with much enthusiasm, and it was difficult for Road to not join in.

Allen had been just as sweet and lovely, and the image of his hard demeanor and threatening stance no longer seemed as prominent, much to her frustration. Conversing with them had been so relaxing and normal in the warm atmosphere; a sharp contrast from her stuffy dinners with pretentious aristocrats. At this point, most of her beloved family had abandoned the life of royalty. Where they had gone, Road had no idea, but her father Sheryl seemed persistent in omitting it from her. Only her older sister, Lulubell, remained along with her eccentric Uncle Adam. Road terribly missed the rest. Except maybe the twins. She could do without the twins.

It was at this point that Road had taken notice of the sweet and lively music floating in the background. It'd given the atmosphere a more energetic vibe, and she had looked up to catch a glimpse of a wavy-haired man playing a flute, incessantly being encouraged by the unruly pirates.

"Uncle Tyki?" she'd muttered, though not loud enough to be heard in all the racket.

Glancing up from his conversation with Narein, Allen had asked, "Did you say something, Road?"

"Um, who is that man?" Road had inquired, nodding over to the performer with burning curiosity and a little bit of hope. Could that really be her runaway uncle?

"Ah, that's my useless uncle!" he'd replied with a cheeky grin. "An absolutely worthless swab, but a marvelous musician! His name is Neah."

"Right," Road had nodded minutely, hope diminished. It _was_ odd though; the resemblance was uncanny.

In any case, socializing late into the night had not been beneficial in her new life of manual labor. She'd almost fallen into a barrel of gunpowder more times than she could count. If it hadn't been for Daisya, she'd have most likely resembled an actual monkey by now. Luckily, they were almost through with their job. Daisya had even mentioned that Allen might intervene and give her a new post. After this, Klaud and Daisya would only be in charge of the upkeep of their supply of firearms—the real work came when in battle with other pirate ships—and Road would only be more useless in this area, and rather than going through the slow process of learning how everything work, Allen was contemplating moving her up onto the deck to work with the rest of the crew.

Road wasn't complaining. She'd had enough of stifling rooms that had her under the constant threat of suffocation by gunpowder, to last a lifetime. Thankfully, she was allowed to take a lunch break this time around, though Daisya had decided to stay behind to finish up the job since there wasn't much left to do anyway. Without complaint, Road had managed to make her way into mess hall, where Jerry, the cook, was generous enough to make her a delicious meal.

One she'd finished and made her way out onto the deck, Road drifted around, relaxed and slightly unwilling to make her way back to Daisya and Klaud, knowing they'd put her back to work right away. Taking a deep inhale of the salty air, Road enjoyed the small moment of freedom, relishing in the sensation of wisps of chilly breezes curling around her. The sky was dense with swirls of dreary clouds as far as the eye could see, and a low mist hung thickly, clinging to every space available. Road leaned against the wooden railing with a content smile, taking pleasure in the dampness the clung to her. This had always been her favorite type of weather.

Closing her eyes, Road distantly recalled days like this, where the rain slightly sprinkled and she'd be bouncing on Tyki's shoulders as he dashed around town, effectively evading the guards sprinting after them. Tyki had always enjoyed breaking the rules and running off, usually hauling her along to enjoy the ride.

Her violet eyes suddenly snapped open, as she took notice of the frantic yells and scurrying pirates along the ship, as if they were unprepared for something. Gazing around, Road's eyes widened as she took notice of another ship pulling alongside their own. It was a lot shabbier than the one she currently stood one. Clearly, no one took the time to upkeep it. Grime and filth clung onto the dull, grayish wood and the sails were ratty and shredded at the seams. Though Road could barely make out its passengers through the piling mist, she had no uncertainty that they were just as foul and unkempt. Another pirate ship then, without a doubt.

Noticing that all the pirates had finally gathered along railing beside her with one exception, she asked the nearest pirate, "Where's the captain?"

He scoffed. "Probably loaded to the gunwall, yet again."

Road had absolutely no idea what that meant.

She balked, when a thunderous thud was hit against the wood of the ship. Glancing up, once again, she noticed with ample eyes that a gangplank had been thrown across from the other ship, connecting it to this one. Allen had already stepped onto it, along with the captain of the other ship it seemed. Road inhaled sharply at the sight.

Beneath the captain hat's brim was a man with long, curling hair pulled back into a ponytail and an all too-familiar, roguish smirk. Roughly pushing aside the astounded pirates, Road swiftly squeezed her way through them.

"Sink me! What the hell do you think you're doing, you wench?!" one of them indignantly yelled, along with others.

But Road had already clambered up onto the gangplank before they could get a hold of her. Shoving past a stunned Allen, Road threw herself at the Captain with all her might.

"Uncle Tyki!" she cried, clinging to him for dear life.

"R-Road?!" Tyki, in turn, gasped, shocked.

But Road said nothing more, as she continued to clutch him in her embrace. Her mind was racing with so many thoughts, they hardly made any sense. It was preposterous to think that her uncle had left in order to become a pirate of all things! But in a rational way, it also made sense; because he'd always been so adventurous and bold, even a bit crude enough to take on the pirate lifestyle. Still, it hurt her to think that he'd left her for all of this, especially when he _knew_ how she felt about pirates. But it seemed she could do nothing about it now.

Crouching down, nearer to her level, Tyki pulled slightly back and asked her with bewilderment, "Road, what are you _doing_ here?!"

Mirroring his earlier smirk, Road replied, "Why Tyki! You're not the _only_ one to leave the family business in order to become a pirate!"

Returning her playful smirk, like they used to, Tyki nodded his head back, saying, "Don't I know it."

Gazing behind him, towards his own ship, Road was met with Wisely's lazy smirk, along with her crazy twin cousins and her intimidating Uncle Skinn. "Gee, I see I'm the only one who wasn't invited." She hadn't meant to reveal the bitterness in her tone, but it was difficult not to. Not that she ever wanted to become a pirate. God forbid! But maybe, she'd be willing to become the thing she loathed most in order to keep her remaining family.

With a small frown, Tyki gazed at her momentarily before replying, "I'm sorry Road, but you were just a child when I finally had my opportunity to leave. I couldn't do that to you. And do you really believe, that out of all our a bizarre family members, I would have chosen _them_ over _you_? Trust me, they hopped aboard before I could stop them."

With an innocent smile, Road asked, "Then why didn't you throw them _off_ board when out at sea?"

"Oh, you wouldn't believe the amount of times I've tried," he chuckled with a sinister grin.

Wagging her finger in mock disappointment, Road scolded him, "Well you clearly didn't try hard enough, Uncle Tyki!"

"I can practically feel your love, sister," Wisely called out in a dry tone of voice. Childishly, Road stuck her tongue out in response.

"In all seriousness," Tyki began as he got up to full height, and glowered at a slightly nervous Allen. "What the hell do you think you're doing with my niece?" Road smirked triumphantly, as the crowd of pirates shifted tensely behind Allen, pleased to finally have the upper hand. "_Well_?"

When they failed to give him a response, Tyki turned to Road, who was all too happy to obliged. With a dramatic sigh, Road began, "It was very frightening, Uncle Tyki, as I'm sure you must imagine. Really, I never thought such a thing could happen to me, but a couple nights ago, everything went into utter chaos when these _pirates_ began to raid our home." It was difficult to keep her naïve expression, amused when she noticed the growing agitation of some pirates, and the irritation of others. "And then, they had the _audacity_ to take me and threaten Father as well! The rundown, Uncle Tyki, is that I've become a ransom!"

To everyone's astonishment, Tyki released a deep, raucous laugh. "_Them_? Actually kidnap _you_ as a ransom?"

Road rolled her eyes, though part of her _had _missed Tyki's ridiculous reactions. "_Yes_, Uncle Tyki, that _is_ what I just said."

"It certainly _is_ unbelievable. I mean, they're practically the laughingstock of all the seven seas! Pathetic," Tyki sneered in their direction, as they bristled with resentment.

Road giggled. "Of course, Uncle Tyki."

She was slightly relieved, knowing that Tyki would certainly take her back home. Road wouldn't need to work for those pirates for the next month! She could simply return home and force Tyki to promise her to visit. Simple as that! "Uncle Tyki? Can we get going now? I'm exhausted."

Rather than his immediate agreement, Tyki crouched back down, and hurriedly whispered to Road, "Listen Road, I think it would be best if you stayed with them." She was about to adamantly protest, but he cut her off, "I'm sorry, but I'd honestly feel better if you did. There's only so much we can do as your family. The rest of our pirate crew consists of another thirty, rough men. I don't trust them being around you; it'll be more dangerous for you there, Road. Trust me."

"What about them?" she whispered back, referring to The Abaddon crew.

"They're harmless; at least, compared to the rest of us. Honestly, I'm surprise they have the nerve to call themselves pirates, but in this case, I'm grateful. They'll take care of you, more than we could. Please Road?" Tyki pleaded.

It was arduous, trying to hide the disappointment from her face. Touching his cheek, in a surprising show of affection, Road asked, "Do you promise to at least visit?"

"I promise," Tiki agreed with a growing grin. "Now let's not let them believe for second that they've won!"

Lips curling into a smirk, Road nodded with a, "Of course!"

"Now," Tyki stood once again, proclaiming with a loud voice, "I'll let you keep your little ransom." His grin turned ominous. "Having a pathetic band of loaded pirates might become handy in the future."

Understanding his implications, they became rigid with anger and seemed ready to strike at any moment, but before they had the chance, Road skipped back over, ignoring their glares of accusation. Hauling Allen along with her, and jumping back onto the deck, Tyki swiftly went back and pulled away the gangplank and began to sail off. As they gradually pulled away, Road leaned over and barely managed to make out the name of the ship along the hull.

_THE ROAD TO HELL_

"I'm glad you kept me in your thoughts!" Road called out, leaning over the railing in order to be heard.

"Always!" Tyki called with his typical smirk, as Road waved goodbye.

Once the ship had disappeared in the distance, behind the faint fog, Road turned, only to be faced with a mob of livid pirates. But this didn't faze Road. She'd kept her head down simply because of fear and her own self-preservation. But Tyki had already shown her that she'd be safe. Not that she was planning on doing anything stupid, but she wouldn't allow herself to be pushed around. If it was as good as Tyki said, and she trusted him completely, the worst they could do is throw her in the brig. She wouldn't aim for that, but she'd see how far she could push her limits.

Hardly glancing at their scowling faces, as if they were beneath her notice, Road lifted her chin defiantly and asked scathingly, "Was there something you lot needed?"

"Wench, don't you fucking think this changes things," her kidnapper growled. Kanda, she believed his name was. But what did it matter?

Road sneered, and retorted, "Why ever would I think that?"

Allen stepped forward with his own frustrated frown. "Road, what exactly did he tell you?"

"Wouldn't _you_ like to know, Allen," Road replied with a smirk.

"Fine," Allen gritted out. Soon after that, they all dispersed, leaving Road to her own devices. Turning back to the railing, she looked longingly out into the sea, wondering what would result from her actions.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Pretty short chapter, and I should've probably warned you that this was hardly edited. Sorry about that! Hopefully, it wasn't too bad. Anyway, I was wondering if anyone had any ideas for this story. I have a basic outline for this story, so it'll survive whether you have them or you don't, but I wouldn't mind hearing you out!

In any case, I hope you all liked it, and would you terribly mind leaving a review? Please?(: Thank you for reading!


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